Comic Review: Invincible: Compendium One

After watching the first 3 episodes of Prime Video’s adaptation of the Image Comic Invincible, I knew I had to read the series for myself. I went online and ordered the massive nearly 50-issue Invincible: Compendium One, the first of three compendiums that collect the entire 144 issue series. Seriosuly, if I ever get called in to court, I want to be sworn in on this collection. It is massive.

As I write this, I am well into the second compendium, so if that already isn’t indicative of my opinions of Compendium One, I don’t know what is. Invincible is easily one of the best comic series I have ever read. It is full of wonderful, ever-changing characters, real stakes, humor, heart, and subverted expectations.

For those unfamiliar with Invincible, the comic was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Cory Walker, although artist Ryan Ottley takes over as the series’s main artist for the majority of the series very early on. The comic, published by Image Comics, follows Mark Grayson, son of the world’s greatest superhero Omni-Man, as he becomes a hero of his own. Mark has to navigate what it means to be a hero—what sacrifices must a person make, how can they maintain friendships, and just how long can someone stay good?

In its first few issues, Invincible is a pretty standard comic. It’s novel and derivative but in all the right ways. Invincible places the reader in a familiar place. Many of the characters feel like analogs to popular DC and Marvel characters. However, after the first few issues, the series takes a turn for the insane. Invincible makes the reader feel comfortable in seemingly familiar superhero circumstances—aliens with superpowers from other worlds, evil super-geniuses, long-lost family members with powers of their own—and turns these conventions on their heads. Rather, the comic smashes these conventions on the head and smears their blood all around. Quickly, Invincible becomes a bloody, brutal series that depicts the true potential characters like Superman or Thor have to inflict destruction and death on a dangerous level.

Invincible depicts the realistic consequences of super-beings better than perhaps most mainstream comics. The ramifications of having violence inflicted not only on one's self but on one's family, are depicted excellently. Seeing Mark navigate high school and subsequently college, trying to juggle his world-saving responsibilities and his relationships, it all feels reminiscent of Peter Parker’s Spider-Man or Batman Beyond’s Terry McGuiness. However, while Mark’s relationship with his non-powered girlfriend Amber may feel familiar to fans of Peter Parker and Mary Jane, Invincible takes a good look at the ramifications of a relationship with such a power discrepancy. Can a normal human ever hope to relate to the struggles of a man who can level cities with his bare hands?

Marvel and DC comics tell different kinds of stories than Invincible, and that is okay. Very few status quo changes stick in mainstream comics—some of the most notable being the shifting of the Robin mantle, or of Peter Parker’s graduation from college. When Superman dies, or Batman gets his back broken, there are only going to be a few years until things are back to normal. Invincible, having the luxury of having a singular creative team, has lasting status quo changes. When major events happen in Invincible, they have ramifications that reverberate throughout the rest of the series. Lasting changes are imposed on the comic’s characters, which is just a delight to read. It is riveting to watch all of the characters change and develop in meaningful ways. Mark matures and darkens in ways that feel real and heart-breaking.

Invincible’s characters are amazing. Even the side characters are given issues and scenes to develop and change. Nearly every superhero or villain you are introduced to has an intricate backstory or reason for being the way they are that you might not find out until 50 issues into the series, but that origin seamlessly fits into the reader’s encounters with the character. Just a few of the best characters of the comic, in my opinion, are Mark, his human mother Debbie, who deals with grief, loss, and other spoilerific challenges, Mark’s first superhero friend Atom Eve, his father Omni-Man, the telepathic and genetically-engineered Allen the Alien, and the Nick Fury/Amanda Waller analog Cecil Stedman.

The plotting of Invincible is also pretty incredible, especially as the series goes on. After the series’s first arc, there are so many plot threads being juggled in their air at once that most other series would have collapsed under the pressure. Villains are teased and developed sometimes over more than 20 issues until they have true conflicts with the titular character, an impressive feat when one considers these plot events were planned years in advance. Sometimes even jokes are broke back 10 or more issues later—like when the first costume Mark’s tailor Art asks him to wear later shows up as the costume of the character Bulletproof. As soon as one major threat or plot thread is wrapped up, another new and interesting villain or character arc is put in its place. The series moves away from derivativeness and builds its own mythologies that in turn deepen and complicate the plot.

The series's art is gorgeous as well. Cory Walker’s work at the beginning of the series is great. His character designs are amazing and they set the tone and flavor of the series. Cory Walker's design for Invicible's first costume might be one of the best costumes in comics. It is the perfect mixture of Nightwing, 90's Animal Man, and Booster Gold. Ryan Ottley’s work then takes the great foundation that Cory Walker built and builds a giant skyscraper atop it. When Ottley first took over penciling duties on the series, it is clear that Ottley was trying to replicate Walker’s style. But when Ottley begins to fully commit to his own style, the book becomes so dynamic. Ottley is a master at character expressions; so much character and feeling are communicated through the expressions of the characters. Many humorous moments are so much more so because of the excellent work Ottley does. Ottley is also a master of the splash page. After the first 20 or so issues, there are gorgeous splash pages in every issue that are museum-worthy. Ottley’s work embodies the dynamism and exaggeration inherent in superhero art. It is no wonder why, when Invincible ended, Ottley was such a great fit for Amazing Spider-Man.

The series is great, but it is not without its flaws. Some of the best characters, such as Debbie and Amber, are not given enough character development in the first 15 issues. However, these characters go on to become complex and breathing individuals as the series continues. Many jokes and words that the series uses have not stayed in favor. The Prime Video series addresses these problems and creates more immediate arcs and development for characters like Debbie and Amber, and it also forgoes some of the languages that haven’t aged as well as the rest of the series.

Invincible: Compendium One is easily the single largest collection of comics that I have ever read and it was one of the most enjoyable comics I have read. Some of the issues are laugh-out-loud enjoyable while others are horrific and heart-breaking. Getting to know these characters through the laughable moments is what makes their deaths and mutilations so impactful. Compendium One is incredibly entertaining and manages to never feature a boring issue in its almost 50 collected issues—and Compendium Two looks to be boasting that same accomplishment.

-- Logan M. Cole

Invincible: Compendium One is available on Amazon.